A system determines traffic information. The system contains a terminal having a position determination device for determining a position of the vehicle, a storage device for storing reference positions defined by location coordinates, and a processor which works together with the position determining device and the storage device. The processor compares a specific position of the vehicle with stored reference positions to determine whether the vehicle has passed a reference position. A reference position is defined by a safety line extending through the location coordinates thereof. The processor also determines whether the vehicle has traversed a safety line and evaluates the traversing of a determined safety line as the vehicle passes the reference position defined by the safety line. Therefore, the system can determine a position in a simple and reliable manner, including in an inner-city road network.
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1. A system for determining traffic information, the system comprising: a terminal carried along in a vehicle, said terminal having: a position determination facility for determining a vehicle position and a driving direction of the vehicle in a road network; a memory for storing reference positions defined by location coordinates; and a processing facility which works together with said position determination facility and said memory, said processing facility comparing a specific position of the vehicle with stored reference positions for determining whether the vehicle has passed one of the reference positions, a reference position is defined by a safety line running through the location coordinates thereof, wherein the safety line is defined by a reference driving direction for vehicles assigned to the reference position of a carriageway and runs at right angles to this, wherein said processing facility being embodied to determine whether the vehicle has traversed the safety line, to compare a driving direction of the vehicle determined with a traversing of a determined safety line with stored reference driving directions and to evaluate the traversing of the determined safety line as the vehicle passes the reference position defined by the safety line, wherein a passing of the reference position is excluded if the safety line was traversed by the vehicle in a driving direction which deviates from the reference driving direction.
A traffic information system uses a terminal in a vehicle to determine its location and driving direction in a road network. The terminal stores reference locations as coordinates. The system compares the vehicle's position to these stored locations to determine if the vehicle has passed a reference point. Each reference point is defined by a "safety line" that runs through the location coordinates, perpendicular to a reference driving direction for vehicles on the road. The system checks if the vehicle crosses the safety line and compares its direction to the stored reference direction. Crossing the safety line in the correct direction indicates passing the reference point; crossing in the wrong direction excludes passing.
2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the safety line is defined by a safety line length assigned to the reference position of the carriageway.
The traffic information system described above, which uses a terminal in a vehicle to determine its location by comparing its position against reference points defined by safety lines, also defines each safety line by a specific length assigned to the reference point on the roadway. This safety line length is in addition to the reference driving direction which the vehicle must match when crossing the safety line. The system uses this safety line to accurately determine if the vehicle has passed a reference position.
3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said terminal has a signaling facility which works together with said processing facility, said signaling facility is embodied, after defining that the vehicle has passed the reference position, to output a message having the location coordinates, a passing time instant and identification data of said terminal.
The traffic information system, which uses a terminal in a vehicle to determine its location by comparing its position against reference points defined by safety lines, also includes a signaling component. When the system determines that the vehicle has passed a reference point (defined by a safety line), the signaling component creates a message containing the location coordinates of the reference point, the time the vehicle passed, and an ID for the terminal. This message is generated after confirming the vehicle has crossed the safety line.
4. The system according to claim 3 , further comprising a traffic control center assigned to the road network for further processing messages, wherein said terminal has a communication facility for a wireless transmission of messages output to said traffic control center.
The traffic information system, which uses a terminal in a vehicle to determine its location and output a message upon crossing a reference point, also includes a central traffic control center. The terminal has a wireless communication module to send these messages to the control center for further processing. These messages include the location coordinates of the reference point, the time the vehicle passed, and an ID for the terminal. The traffic control center uses this data for traffic management purposes.
5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein the reference positions stored in said memory are assigned message attributes containing at least one of a type, an address, a content or a cycle of a message to be output.
The traffic information system described previously, which includes a traffic control center receiving messages from vehicle terminals, stores message attributes associated with each reference location in memory. These attributes define characteristics of the message to be sent when the reference point is passed. These attributes include the message type, the destination address for the message, the message content, and how often the message should be sent (cycle). The system uses these message attributes to tailor the information sent to the traffic control center.
6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the reference positions can be added or deleted by said traffic control center by means of said communication facility in said memory of said terminal or defining features and message attributes thereof can be changed.
In the traffic information system where a traffic control center receives messages from vehicle terminals that store reference locations, the traffic control center can remotely manage these reference locations. Using the terminal's wireless communication, the control center can add new reference locations, delete existing ones, or modify the defining features (e.g., safety line length, reference driving direction) and message attributes (e.g., message type, address, content, cycle) of existing reference locations stored in the terminal's memory. This allows dynamic updating of the system's operational parameters.
7. The system according to claim 4 , wherein said traffic control center is: a toll control center for collecting road use charges in the road network, wherein chargeable stretches of road are assigned the reference positions; or a traffic management control center for determining travel times in the road network, wherein end points of stretches of road are assigned the reference positions; or a control center for emergency vehicles for their prioritization to traffic signal-control nodal points of the road network, wherein accesses to the nodal points are assigned the reference positions; or a control center for local public transport vehicles for activating passenger information facilities, wherein connecting roads between stations of the vehicle are assigned the reference positions.
In the traffic information system, where a traffic control center receives messages from vehicle terminals upon crossing reference positions, the traffic control center can fulfill different roles. It can act as a toll control center, using reference positions to define chargeable road segments and collect road usage fees. It can be a traffic management center, using reference positions at road endpoints to determine travel times. It may also be a control center for emergency vehicles, using reference positions at traffic signal-controlled intersections to prioritize emergency vehicle access. Finally, it can act as a control center for public transport, using reference positions along routes to activate passenger information systems.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 20, 2014
August 22, 2017
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